The Conversations
by rcelu123
Summary: Basically, a series of conversations that Gordon has with the G-man. More will come, R and R.


The Conversations

Disclaimer: No own. No sue.

* * *

The flash of light.

Alyx sobbing over Eli's corpse while Dog looks over in sorrow.

And then, everything whited out.

Gordon fell through light and darkness, until he found himself standing in a field.

It was white. Everything was white. He couldn't tell the horizon from the ground.

His weapons were gone.

At least he had his hazard suit on.

Then, he saw a figure walking towards him.

It was _him._

The man in the suit.

The G-man.

He was walking slowly, almost disinterested. He had one hand behind his back.

He was soon a few feet in front of Gordon. He set his suitcase down on the ground.

Gordon didn't know whether to run away or try and strangle him.

Then, the G-man spoke.

"I warned you."

Gordon heard himself scream in frustration, but his mouth stayed shut.

"We are in your mind, Doctor Freeman. Your mind can speak for its own."

Gordon snarled. "Why Eli? Why did this happen?"

"It was partly… his fault."

"His fault?! How dare you!! Eli never did anything evil!! He headed the resistance to throw off the tyranny that is the Combine!!!"

"Doctor Freeman, relax. Such conduct is most unbecoming of you."

"You…" Gordon made furious moves toward him, but stopped when the G-man raised his hand.

"I will explain. Normally, I would not bother with… such a trivial thing, since you are perfectly capable of figuring it out yourself, but seeing the state you are in… well," He straightened his tie. "I would expect my employees to work at their max efficiency, don't you?"

The G-man looked at Gordon in the eye. "Let me start… at the beginning. From the Black Mesa incident. Feel free to… join in… when you like." His speech was, as usual, punctuated with pauses and emphasis on certain syllables.

"The sample you took was by pure chance. I never made anyone take it. However, my… employers… have decided to send me to give… a warning."

"You forced Eli Vance to put that sample in the Spectrometer."

"Like I said, Doctor Freeman, I never… forced Doctor Vance to put it in the Spectrometer. I simply warned him… that if he intended to follow his order to put it in the Spectrometer, it would have _unforeseen consequences. _I gave him a choice. I simply delivered the crystal and a warning.

"Now, when he chose to follow through, you put it in the machine, and the rest is history. As I watched Zen creatures… thrust out of their environment, and start to… eliminate security guards and scientists, I saw you. You had… progressed farther than what was expected, so you were marked as an object of interest by… my employers. Therefore I started to observe you.

"I admit I have a... fascination with those who adapt and survive even when all the odds are against them. From the Anomalous Materials laboratory to the Lambda Complex, I saw you leap, I saw you fall, I saw you fight and win. You had won where others had lost.

"Then, you managed… to do the impossible. You killed the entity responsible for making the Xenians fight.

"You had eliminated their oppressor, their master.

"You had liberated a race that had endured slavery for eons, and had done in a few moments what they failed to do for millennia. For that, they revere you as a hero, and will revere you… for eternity.

"Then I stepped in. You know… the rest. What you experienced has stemmed… from that incident, as your friends had explained.

"I sense questions."

Gordon spoke sarcastically. "Thank you for the narration. Now explain why this happened."

"Doctor, even you should know that Advisors are a very dangerous threat. Everyone knew that Advisors had escaped from the Citadel. Whether by teleportation or by escape pod, they escaped. And they knew that Advisor pods had landed on their soil through their radar.

The rebels who saw the Advisors had ample time to radio and warn White Forest. Whether they did or they did not, White Forest could have simply tapped into their security systems… and saw a person being levitated into the air, or perhaps a glimpse of the Advisor itself."

"Why didn't you warn us?"

The G-man gave him a look that screamed, "Have you been listening?"

"Okay. I get it. But why just those words?"

"Do not forget that my purpose is…" He straightened his tie. "Let us say… to watch, and to maintain balance. If there are situations in which… heavy consequences are to follow, I give a warning and clarify the choice: whether to push through with their initial objective, or not.

"Eli had known what the words… meant. He knew what would happen. He made his choice. Instead of waiting for a few hours… or sending in a team to… scout… You… well… let us say _one_ should never be too comfortable even with the… mere thought that an Advisor had landed near White Forest."

"So it's HIS fault?"

"Not… all. Part of it was with your rebels. They had the… chance to scour their buildings, check the skies for… intruders. After all, Advisors will present themselves mentally. What chance could a few rebels have against two… _upset"_ He straightened his tie again." And powerful advisors?"

"The whole base would have known they were there."

"This would lead to Dog… chasing them out of the base, so you, Doctor Freeman, and… Miss Vance could have flown away… in relative safety."

"We could have been attacked."

"You could have risen at an altitude that only machines… could attain. If they tried to attack, they would have had to pull you down. You could… attack them; force them to let you go."

"All right, all right!"

"Dr. Magnusson also had his part. It was… most… unwise… to not install cameras along with the sensors. That way, they would have seen the… Advisor you so happily shot at."

"And you, Doctor Freeman. You could have stopped them from going so… soon. Make them stay in the control… room for safety. Tell Eli to send a team to scout ahead and secure… the area."

"I get it!!! This is my fault!!!" Gordon clenched his fists in frustration.

"No, Doctor Freeman, this… is not just your fault. It is everyone's fault."

Gordon looked down and closed his eyes. Minutes passed.

"Now… you can make the choice to stay… or go."

Gordon looked at the G-man.

"Doctor Freeman, I am saying… you can stay here… or you can proceed with the mission… I am also saying that… each act… carries… consequences.

"And if you two decide… on accomplishing your mission… you have a second choice. You can… use the technologies… or you can… destroy that ship."

The G-man then showed what was behind his back.

Gordon's crowbar.

"The choice… is yours, Doctor Freeman."

After what seemed an eternity, Gordon nodded and reached out for the crowbar.

The moment he touched it, everything started to dim. All that remained the same was the crowbar.

The surroundings morphed and twisted. Gordon was back in the real world, with several dozen rebels around him.

He focused, and the figure holding his crowbar came into focus.

Alyx.

"Gordon?" She began, her voice soft and hoarse. "Are you all right?"

Gordon nodded. He stood up, took the crowbar, and put it in his slot.

Alyx leaned against him, her frame slumped.

Gordon put an arm around her, and led her away from the scene, and into a small room.

He closed the door and sat beside her.

Alyx wrapped her arms around him, her body shaking with sobs.

Gordon gently pats her on the back. He hugs her as well, and does not let go until he's sure she feels better somewhat.

"What now, Gordon?"

Gordon looks at her. His face forms into a mask of firm determination and resolve.

He looked at her… and he made his choice.

* * *

More conversations will come.

R & R.


End file.
